Today was the reassembly day designated by the Hunter Association.
For the foreseeable future, I would be living in a dormitory. As far as I remembered, we were allowed to spend one or two nights away each month.
Mom had started preparing to leave for the airport early that morning to handle her overseas engagements. Judging by how President Jung was personally overseeing everything, she must have had quite a backlog of work.
Before getting into the van, Mom pulled me into a tight hug.
“Son, I love you. You have to message me every night. You can’t ever forget, okay?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Hasol, you stay safe too. And keep getting along with Daram just like you do now. All right?”
“Yes, Mother. Don’t worry about Kim Daram. I’ll stay by his side and take good care of him.”
Lee Hasol answered with surprising maturity.
The van carrying Mom crossed the predawn streets and disappeared into the distance.
After seeing her off, we went back inside. Lee Hasol gave a long, lazy yawn.
“Kim Daram, I’m hungry. Feed me.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh as I stared at him.
“Fine. Let’s eat. Just wait a little.”
*****
Lee Hasol and I arrived at the dome in Yeouido, where we had taken the Hunter Selection Assessment, at the appointed time.
The agents in black suits waiting outside the building guided us in as though they had been expecting us. We were taken to a spacious office, where our identification was checked, our fingerprints and irises were registered, and we were made to sign all kinds of documents.
“Kim Daram, what is all this stuff?”
Lee Hasol asked as he flipped through the thick stack of paperwork.
“They’re the basic terms and conditions for working as a Hunter in Korea. Some are for insurance. There are also compensation forms in case we die while training under the Association over the next year. Of course, they include a clause saying the Association can’t be held responsible in any way. Just sign everything.”
I went through them one by one just in case, but nothing particularly suspicious stood out.
Then again, the Hunter Association was a proper government institution by this point. There was no reason it would include a malicious contract that could compromise its credibility.
Once the paperwork was complete, an agent led us somewhere else.
The large double doors eventually opened onto a wide auditorium.
Dozens of people our age had already gathered inside, talking among themselves.
Hunter Selection Assessment results were not made public.
After leaving the Stage, every participant was informed of their results individually and sent home. Unless people already knew one another and chose to share their results, there was no way to learn anyone else’s score.
However, everyone here had been placed in the same group as me.
That meant they had to be the participants with the highest results. Perhaps that was why the presence each of them gave off felt distinctly different.
Lee Hasol’s yellow hair apparently drew some curiosity, and plenty of people glanced his way.
But that was all.
The auditorium was filled with the same awkward atmosphere one might find in a classroom at the start of a new school year. Only the few people who already knew one another were speaking in quiet voices.
Time passed, and soon only five minutes remained before the designated assembly time.
Roughly fifty people had gathered in the auditorium. Since no one else was coming through the doors, it seemed everyone had arrived.
Just then, the auditorium doors flew open with a deafening crash.
Every head snapped in that direction.
I looked up as well, curious to see who had made such an obnoxiously dramatic entrance.
Sa Jeil?
It was none other than Sa Jeil.
His naturally sharp eyes were narrowed into slits, and he radiated killing intent honed to a razor’s edge as he slowly entered the auditorium.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was marching onto a battlefield.
Why was he making such a production out of his entrance?
Sa Jeil strode toward the gathered students without hesitation.
As he drew closer, the crowd naturally parted before him.
Everyone here was one of Korea’s most promising young talents, each dreaming of becoming an A-grade Hunter.
But Sa Jeil’s presence was so menacing that the others silently moved aside when he approached.
Then I suddenly realized something.
Don’t tell me that bastard is coming straight for me.
Before I knew it, no one remained between Sa Jeil and me.
Even Lee Hasol had retreated some distance away, watching with keen interest.
The next instant, Sa Jeil suddenly accelerated and charged at me.
“KIM DARAAAAAM!”
His expression was deadly serious.
The moment our eyes met, I understood exactly what he was thinking.
Sa Jeil had probably spent sleepless nights waiting for the chance to avenge his humiliation.
His arrogant ego had stood at the top of every pack since the day he was born. After suffering such a disgraceful defeat, he must have spent every waking moment nurturing a thick, festering desire for revenge against the person responsible.
Perhaps because he was conscious of all the people watching, however, he did not summon Blood Sword.
Fine.
Boys grew closer by fighting.
As the adult who had lived twenty years longer than him, I decided not to avoid the fight he had brought to me.
To be honest, I was more interested in using this opportunity to test the technique Song Guseul had taught me.
Hahaha.
Sa Jeil, your timing was perfect.
He rapidly closed the distance and threw a punch.
From what I knew, he had placed third. That meant his Level was probably somewhere around fifteen.
The force and speed of his charge were certainly on an entirely different level from the last time we met.
Hmm.
I would have to check his Status Window later.
As Sa Jeil rushed me, I remembered myself charging at Song Guseul a week earlier.
Only this time, our positions were reversed.
Now it was my turn to hit someone.
I lowered my center of gravity and relaxed the muscles of my upper body while loading power into my planted foot.
The next instant, I shot forward as though skipping through space and slipped inside Sa Jeil’s reach.
I drove power into my right foot again and slammed on the brakes.
Before the compressed force trapped inside me could throw me off balance, I rotated my lower body and waist, drawing the condensed energy up into my back.
Then the layers of accumulated force met Sa Jeil’s chest and exploded.
WHAM!
Sa Jeil flew through the air in a long arc.
He crashed into the auditorium floor. The impact to his chest must have stunned him, because he failed to break his fall properly and went tumbling across the ground.
An unexpected silence descended over the auditorium.
Only Sa Jeil’s ragged coughing echoed pitifully through the room.
“Nice. Kim Daram, that was clean.”
Lee Hasol raised his thumb.
I returned the gesture.
But when I saw Sa Jeil sprawled on the floor in pain, I suddenly remembered Song Guseul’s warning.
—Try to use the techniques I taught you only to defend yourself or run away, okay?
“Lee Hasol, what I just did counted as self-defense, right?”
Lee Hasol seemed to remember Song Guseul’s words as well. He gave an awkward smile.
“Yeah. Of course. That was totally self-defense.”
After coughing for some time, Sa Jeil finally managed to push himself upright.
But rather than losing his momentum, a thick, murderous gleam shone in his eyes.
Was his madness acting up again?
At this rate, that bastard might actually activate his Trait right here.
Today was the first day of what would be a meaningful education in many ways.
I could not allow it to turn into a bloodbath.
This time, I decided to act like an adult and talk some sense into him.
I summoned a Puppet Needle.
The enormous needle sprang from my hand, drawing exclamations from the surrounding students.
Everyone’s attention was naturally drawn to what kind of Trait the person who had just defeated Sa Jeil would display.
Sa Jeil also noticed the Puppet Needle in my hand.
His pupils began trembling violently, and the ominous killing intent pouring from him noticeably weakened.
Lee Hasol moved closer and whispered into my ear.
“Kim Daram, this is that thing, right? The needle that makes people behave?”
I snickered.
“Yeah. That’s the one.”
“Sa Jeil looks really scared right now.”
“He does. Don’t tell me he’s afraid of getting a shot.”
We exchanged nonsense and chuckled together.
What was this?
Now we looked like delinquents bullying one of our classmates.
I could feel the other students’ gazes shifting toward me.
Hmm.
There was nothing wrong with making a powerful first impression.
If I considered this an opportunity to discourage people from picking annoying fights with me in the future, it had been a worthwhile event.
At that moment, the auditorium doors opened again.
A man entered wearing a black suit and black sunglasses. He was so powerfully built that “sturdy” hardly did him justice.
He walked onto the stage with an expressionless face and looked down at us.
“It appears everyone is here. Good to meet you. My name is Gu Baeksan, and I serve as the Hunter Association Director of Operations.”
The auditorium immediately erupted into murmurs after his brief introduction.
Gu Baeksan was a renowned Hunter in Korea and one of the Association’s marquee A-grade Hunters.
I knew him well too.
Back in my previous life, I had gone on something of a Status Window sightseeing tour, and his had been one of the many I examined.
Since he had appeared before me again at this point in time, it was only natural to check it once more.
I immediately opened Gu Baeksan’s Status Window.
【Gu Baeksan】
【Level】: 92
【Traits】
┕ [Mutation] Beastification (LV 7)
┕ [Healing] Self-Healing (LV 5)
【Encroachment Rate】: 29%
【Ranking】: 96
【Performance Score】: 520,124
Impressive as expected.
The numbers alone were enough to delight the eye.
However, just like Chairman Yoo Ilhan, there was not much difference between Gu Baeksan now and the man he would become more than a decade later.
Apparently, the closer someone came to the summit, the narrower the room for growth became, until they eventually stagnated.
Just as the murmuring began to swell into noise, Gu Baeksan raised a hand.
The students immediately fell silent.
“For the next year, all of you will belong to the Hunter Association. You will receive foundational training intended to help you survive the System while gaining experience in countless real battles. The fifty people gathered here will now be assigned to Hunter Class 1. First, we will select a Class Rep.”
Gu Baeksan delivered only the necessary information.
Come to think of it, this was essentially a freshman orientation. The fact that the Hunter Association Director of Operations and an A-grade Hunter had appeared in person was surprising in itself.
Newcomers always had questions.
Before Gu Baeksan had even fully finished speaking, someone in the crowd raised a hand high into the air.
“What is it?”
Gu Baeksan adjusted his sunglasses.
The person who had raised her hand was a tall girl with long, straight hair.
“You said we were Class 1. I would like to know what criteria were used to divide us into classes.”
“Assessment results.”
“Then should we assume that the fifty people here placed first through fiftieth?”
“That is correct. To add some context, 3,781 of the 5,082 total participants passed the Assessment, and they will be divided among fifty classes. Class 1 is the elite class composed of the highest scorers.”
The elite class.
Unconcealed pride spread across the students’ faces when they heard those words.
“We will now choose the Class Rep. As all of you know, being a Hunter is an extremely dangerous profession in which you risk your lives. Fatalities can occur at any time, even during this one-year training period. For that reason, the responsibilities of the Class Rep are substantial. We will begin by accepting nominations. You may also volunteer.”
Come on.
You were supposed to dangle a carrot in front of people, not scare them before they even volunteered.
Then again, perhaps that meant the role had to be taken by someone prepared to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.
At that moment, Lee Hasol started to raise his hand.
I barely managed to stop him.
Pressing his head down, I whispered,
“Hey, why are you raising your hand? Who are you trying to nominate?”
Lee Hasol stared back at me with wide eyes and whispered,
“Obviously you, Kim Daram.”
“Why would I take on something that annoying? Don’t do anything. Just sit still. I have absolutely no intention of becoming Class Rep.”
“Okay.”
When I looked up again, the atmosphere had somehow become strange.
Gu Baeksan and everyone else around us were staring in our direction.
“Hahaha. Something suddenly occurred to me…”
Swept along by the mood, I gave an awkward laugh.
Then the girl who had questioned Gu Baeksan earlier raised her hand again.
“I nominate Kim Daram.”
A chubby boy beside her also raised his hand.
“I nominate Kim Daram too!”
What the hell?
How did those bastards even know my name?
Oh, right.
Damn it.
Only then did I remember Sa Jeil charging at me while shouting my name at the top of his lungs.
Gu Baeksan continued the selection process as though everything had worked out perfectly.
“There appear to be no other candidates. Everyone in favor of Kim Daram becoming Class Rep, raise your hand.”
Every single person gathered in the auditorium raised a hand.
Even Sa Jeil, who had retreated into a corner, had his hand raised.
Lee Hasol poked me in the side.
“Kim Daram, I didn’t raise my hand.”
Yes, thank you, Hasol.
But that did not make me feel any better whatsoever.
Damn it.
I was the Class Rep.